


Surprise!

by duskblue



Series: Irondad Bingo 2019 [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Fourth of July, Gen, Iron Dad, Irondad Bingo 2019, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, tony stark fixes everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 23:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19239565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duskblue/pseuds/duskblue
Summary: Tony and May surprise Peter with a trip to Tony’s Malibu beach house over the 4th of July holiday. It’s just that Peter has already promised Ned they’d go see the fireworks. And now Ned is not replying to his texts. But it’s okay, because Tony will do whatever it takes to fix any problem Peter may have. Including this one.Note: This is for Iron Dad Bingo 2019! The prompt is: Holidays. I didn't really feel like writing for Christmas, so I did the 4th of July instead ;)





	Surprise!

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Father's Day!! (even though this story is about the 4th of July...) :D
> 
> I'll be working on my long fic today (Show Me Where The Sun Comes Through the Sky) so hopefully I can get the next chapter up in the next few days. Stay tuned!! <3

“I still don’t really get why I had to pack so much,” Peter says while May drives them to the compound. “I’m just staying at the compound for the week, and some of my clothes are already there.” Things are a bit strange. Usually Happy will pick him up, but apparently, he wasn’t available today, so May offered. Or at least that’s what she’d told him. She had also stood by his bedroom door and instructed him on packing extra clothes and things he may need. It’s all weird, and he’s starting to get an uneasy feeling.

May is grinning, but she doesn’t reply, which only makes Peter feel more awkward. Then when she turns into the drive that leads him onto the compound property, he’s surprised to see a private plane on the runway. Several employees are on the tarmac like they’re preparing for a departure. Is Mr Stark going somewhere and didn’t tell him? Or were they having additional company over for the weekend?

He holds on to his seat when May turns the car in the opposite direction he thought they were headed in. “May!” he cries when she begins driving toward the plane. “What are you doing? The compound is _that_ way!”

“It’s a little surprise,” she says, still grinning while she puts the car into park beside another, much more expensive looking car.

Peter looks over and sees Happy in the driver's seat of the other car. He gives Peter a curt smile, and then the tinted windows go up. The next thing Peter knows, Mr Stark is getting out of the back seat. “What kind of surprise is this?” he desperately asks May when she pops open her door.

May just smiles. “I’ll let Tony tell you. Since it was his idea.”

Peter sits in the car for a second after May gets out and slams the door, just letting himself settle in the small amount of silence he’s allowed. Then he takes a deep breath and gets out, too.

“Hey! Kid!” Mr Stark says, looking as excited as Peter has ever seen him. “Are you ready for sunny beaches and palm trees?”

“What?” Peter says and then turns to May. “Are we going somewhere?”

Mr Stark lets his arms fall to his sides. “You didn’t tell him?”

“I thought it could be a surprise,” May says, still smiling while she opens up the trunk to grab their bags out of the trunk. “Peter, Tony invited us to stay with him at his new beach house in Malibu. I’ll be off at my conference some of the time, but you two can hang out while I’m gone, and we’ll meet up later in the week for some more fun.”

“Okay, but when are we getting back?”

Tony puts a hand on his back. “ A week from today. Aren’t you excited, Pete? Your aunt says you’ve never been to California.”

Normally, Peter would be extremely excited. Flying in Mr Stark’s private jet? With Mr Stark? Staying in his new beach house in Malibu? Seriously, that’s probably close to one of the best things in the world. But there’s just one small problem. Peter has promised Ned they’d watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July together. And now he’s totally going to have to bail on his best friend. But while he’s looking back and forth from May to Mr Stark, who are both waiting for some sort of reaction out of him, he realizes he can’t tell them all that. These two amazing people in his life planned all this to make him happy, and he can’t disappoint them. So he tries his best to forget about Ned and puts on his best smile. “This is going to be _so_ awesome!”

~*~

**Peter: Bad news.**

**Ned: I hope you didn’t get hurt on patrol last night!**

**Peter: No I’m fine. It’s just that I thought I was spending the week with Mr Stark at the compound but when May and I got there they surprised me with a trip to Mr Stark’s beach house in Malibu. We won’t be back until next week. I’m so sorry! I’ll understand if you hate me :(**

Peter sent that message hours ago--before the plane even took off. And even though Mr Stark’s plane has wifi and cell service, he doesn't hear back from Ned. Of course this could only mean that Ned does, in fact, hate him. And he’s so bummed by the time they get to the beach house, that he can’t even appreciate its beauty. Instead, he’s only vaguely aware of the grand entryway and tall pillars reaching up to a two story ceiling. There are windows that go all the way to the top as well as a balcony looking over everything. 

“Come on, kid. I’ll show you to your room. You too, May.” Mr Stark puts his hand on Peter’s back and guides him to the hall.

“I have a free hotel room, you know.” May says, following closely behind them.

Mr Stark turns just before they reach the stairs and smiles at her. “Yeah, in LA. But you won’t be there this whole week. Come on, May, relax. I have like five guest rooms in this place. You’re not putting anyone out. Believe me.”

“Alright, fine. I guess it’s okay, then,” May says, but Peter can hear the smile in her voice. 

He’s happy that they’re happy, and it’s nice to hear them bickering without any of the bite that their conversations have had in the past, but still, he can’t stop thinking about how he let Ned down. He looks at his phone again once Mr Stark and May leave him in his room to unpack his things. 

There’s still no reply. He plops down on the queen size bed in the center of the oversized room, and begins tapping out another message to Ned.

**Peter: It wasn’t my choice. I’m sorry dude. We’ll do something really awesome when i get back okay? And I’ll be sure to bring you back the best souvenir. Promise**

He has a total of three dollars and fifty two cents in his pocket, but he’s sure May will give him a few bucks to spend. Actually, Mr Stark will probably try to spoil him rotten when May is at her conference, but he doesn’t want to take advantage. Especially since the present won’t even be for him. He’s pretty sure if Mr Stark is going to spend money on him, he probably doesn’t want to spend money on Peter’s friends, too. Or friend, singular. Since he really only has one of those. Well, had. He had a friend. Now he has no friends. Maybe MJ might be a friend of his in a little way… but she will probably ditch him too when she finds out that he ditched Ned. 

There’s a knock on the door, and Peter looks up to see Mr Stark standing in the doorway. 

“What the hell, kid? I thought you were unpacking? That does not look like you’re unpacked.”

They both glance at the suitcase that Peter has left on the floor. 

“Are you hungry?” Mr Stark asks when Peter doesn’t say anything. “I ordered pizza since we don’t have any food here yet.”

Part of Peter is hungry, but the other part just feels sick. How could he piss off his only friend? “I don’t know,” he says, looking back down at his phone, but it’s still silent.

“Hey, are you alright? You’re not sick, are you?” Mr Stark asks after a few seconds. “You’ve been really quiet today.”

Peter forces a smile and jumps off the bed. “I’m fine. Not sick, I promise. And I’m probably more hungry than I realize.”

Before Peter can pass Mr Stark at the door, Mr Stark stops him. “Hey. If something is wrong, you can tell me. I know we kind of sprung this trip on you out of the blue. If something’s going on, just tell me about it. Or tell May if you haven’t already. This trip is supposed to be fun.”

“And it’s going to be fun, Mr Stark,” Peter assures him, meeting his eyes. “I’m just a little tired from the jet lag, that’s all. Did you say pizza? What kind?”

“Jet lag, sure,” Mr Stark mutters, giving him a half smile and then patting him hard on the shoulder. “And all your favorite kinds, of course. Come on, let’s go. Just promise to leave enough for your aunt. She’ll need sustenance before her boring stuff tomorrow.”

~*~

That night, Peter and Mr Stark are up late watching movies in the living room. Mr Stark has ordered a taxi to pick May up early in the morning so she can get settled in her hotel and also be at the conference on time, so she has already gone to bed. They’re watching one of Mr Stark’s picks, and it’s a little slow. It also doesn’t help that Peter is completely preoccupied with his phone, so he loses track of the plot pretty easily.

Suddenly, he gets a text, and he almost throws the phone in the air at the anticipation tingling through his arms.

**Mr Stark: Is the movie really that boring?**

The disappointment hits him in a wave, and he looks up at Mr Stark from the other side of the couch with a feeling of deep annoyance. “I am _right here_ ,” he says. “You can talk to me, you know. My hearing is actually pretty good.”

Mr Stark just laughs. “Oh really? I’ve been talking to you for the last five minutes, and you haven’t heard a word I said.”

Peter’s anger settles. “What? No you haven’t.”

“Yes, I have. I asked if you wanted to change movies. I asked if you wanted popcorn. Then I told you that elves built this house. Not even that got a reaction.”

“Oh,” Peter says after he thinks about it. He must have been really out of it.

Mr Stark clears his throat. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on, Pete? I know you, kid. You throw yourself into situations head first, for good or for bad. But all day you’ve been quiet and withdrawn. And honestly, I really thought you’d like this movie.”

Peter sniffs. “It’s really old.”

“And exactly how many really old movies have you seen? Did you lose count?”

Peter looks up at him, trying his best not to smile, but ends up cracking a smile anyway. “Your house is great, Mr Stark. And the view out my window is amazing. And from what I’ve seen of California so far… I love it. I don’t really know what we’re going to do this week, but I know it’s going to be awesome.”

Mr Stark pulls a leg up on the couch so he’s facing Peter. “So what is it? Why aren’t you acting like the happy kid I know who’s excited over just about everything?”

Peter sighs and looks away. He didn’t want to ruin Mr Stark’s vacation, but he figures he kind of already did. Turns out, Peter is not so great about hiding his emotions, and if Mr Stark knows that he’s upset, then clearly, he’s not going to drop it, and then neither of them are going to have fun while May is at her conference. “Fine,” he says, grabbing a throw pillow and hugging it to his chest. “I had plans with Ned to watch the fireworks on Thursday.”

Mr Stark blinks at him for a second. “I’ll take you to the fireworks. I’ll take you to see the fireworks every day this week if you want.”

“That’s not it,” Peter says before Mr Stark offers some other type of present to cheer him up. “I promised Ned I would go with him. And then you and May surprised me with this trip, which is great and all, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I think I let Ned down. Because he’s not replying to my texts.” He turns his screen on and opens up his conversation with Ned. “See?” he says, holding the phone out to Mr Stark.

“Hmm.” Mr Stark is looking over the texts for a few seconds, and then he hands the phone back, looking up at Peter. “It’s been less than a day since he’s replied. Maybe he’s busy.”

Peter sniffs. “No way. I just told him I was going to Malibu with you on your private jet. There is no way he wouldn’t reply to that. Unless he was mad.”

“Why would he be mad at you? You didn’t even know you were coming here. You didn’t break your promise on purpose, and you specifically said you’d make it up to him and get him a great souvenir. We’ll go shopping tomorrow and pick out something awesome for him. The biggest Lego set we can find. That’s his thing, right?” 

Peter smiles at Mr Stark’s attempts to fix the situation. “What do Legos have to do Malibu? Or California?”

Mr Stark shrugs. “Or something else. We’ll find something amazing. You did say ‘best souvenir,’ didn’t you? And you’re shopping with me. Of course it’s going to be the best.”

Peter laughs even though he knows he should tell Mr Stark that they shouldn’t spend too much money. May definitely wouldn’t like it. But this is Ned they’re talking about, and he does deserve the best souvenir, so Peter goes along with it.

“Okay, now do you want to start the movie over or pick something else?” Mr Stark says. “Or are you too tired from traveling across the country and want to sleep?”

“Let’s start it over,” Peter says, setting his phone down on the coffee table and then leaning back into the couch, this time close enough to Mr Stark so he can rest his head on his shoulder if he drifts off. 

Mr Stark takes the opportunity to ruffle his hair. “Good plan, kid.”

~*~

Tony makes Peter his famous omelettes for breakfast, but even after having eaten them, the kid is still a little down and out. He asks if Ned responded, and all he gets is a sad shake of Peter’s head before he trudges off to shower and get ready for their shopping trip.

As Tony watches Peter walk away, a plot hatches. So once Peter has disappeared up the stairs, Tony grabs his phone from the kitchen counter. “FRIDAY, can you find Ned’s mom’s number? Or his dad if you can’t find his mom’s. Either one, really. And send it to my phone. I need to be a little private.”

“Will do, Boss,” FRIDAY replies. “Ned’s mother’s number is being sent to your phone.”

A contact for Ned’s mother appears on Tony’s phone and without thinking about it further, he taps the green call icon.

“Hello, who is this?” a woman’s voice comes over the line.

“Hello, Mrs Leeds, is it? Ned’s mom? This is Tony Stark.”

There’s a pause. “I’m sorry. Did you just say you were Tony Stark? As in Iron Man? You’ll have to excuse me for being skeptical.”

“Your kid’s friend, Peter Parker,” Tony goes on without answering her question. “He’s… well, he’s my mentee. In an internship program at Stark Industries. Did Ned tell you?”

“Um, yeah. He did. Several times. Peter’s a sweet kid. So kind and polite, always lending a helping hand when he’s over, even if we don’t ask him to. But I didn’t actually believe he had a Stark Internship. Are you really, Tony Stark?”

Tony sighs. He hates having to prove who he is, but in this case he guesses it’s necessary. Plus, this is for Peter, he reminds himself, and he would do anything for Peter. “Alright. I’ll switch the call to video for a few seconds. Ready?”

There’s another pause. “As I’ll ever be,” Mrs Leeds says.

Tony switches the call over and then the screen lights up with a woman’s face. She looks remarkably like Ned, except her hair is longer, and there’s a pair of glasses sitting atop her nose. He waves to her. “See? It’s really me. Now can we talk about Peter and Ned please?”

Mrs Leeds is blinking at him like she can’t really believe she’s talking to Tony Stark. But Tony switches the call back to voice before he can witness her freaking out over it.

“I guess Peter promised Ned he’d go see the fireworks with him on the fourth,” Tony says. “But then his aunt and I surprised him with a trip to my beach house in Malibu. He’s really upset about it, and I don’t know if Ned is busy or something, but your kid isn’t texting my kid back, and he’s a mess over it. So what I’m saying is... can Ned please reply to Peter’s text?”

Mrs Leeds is still quiet. “I’m sorry,” she says after she recovers. “I didn’t know any of this was going on. Ned’s been at his grandmother’s house since yesterday, and sometimes when he and his cousins are playing, he doesn’t check his messages very well. I’ll tell him to respond to Peter though. I hate to think about him so upset.”

“Great,” Tony says, happy with this result at least. “Also, I’m wondering if it would be alright for Ned to come out here this week. Or part of this week, whatever works for you. Then Peter can keep his promise about the fireworks.”

“I’m sorry?” Mrs Leeds says, sounding shocked. “You want Ned to get on a plane and go to California? To see the fireworks?”

“And hang out with us, too,” Tony tells her. “You can call his aunt. She’s out here too, but most of the week she’ll be at a work conference in LA. And not just any plane. I’ll have my asset manager, Happy Hogan escort Ned on my private Jet. At no cost to you, of course.”

“Private jet?” Mrs Leeds repeats, clearly not quite getting it.

It takes Tony a good fifteen minutes to talk her through it. By the time he hangs up, he’s exhausted, and it’s not even nine o’clock. Then he shoots off a few texts to Happy explaining the situation and giving him Mrs Leed’s phone number so they can arrange everything. Happy sends back a simple, ‘Fine.’ Which means--if Tony knows him at all--he’ll do it, but he’s not exactly looking forward to it. But it’s what he gets paid to do, so Tony shrugs it off.

Tony takes Peter to his favorite shopping hot spot, where they find several things they’ll need for the beach, as well as a few small souvenirs and trinkets. He talks Peter into getting a big, floppy, American flag patterned hat for May. And then while Peter is still deciding which Lego set to get for Ned, Tony picks out several of the ones he saw the kid looking at, and has the cashier ring them up before Peter realizes what’s going on. When they leave, the manager hands Tony a large bag with their purchases, and Peter almost glares at him.

“Ned doesn’t even have room for that many Lego sets,” he says, reluctantly following Tony out of the store. “What am I going to do with all of those?”

“Don’t sweat it,” Tony says, handing him the bag because his arm already hurts from its weight. “You can keep them in your room at the Compound and do them one at a time. I know for a fact you have plenty of space there.”

“I guess,” Peter mumbles. But when they get to the car and climb in, he clears his throat and waits until Tony looks at him. “Thanks, Mr Stark. You didn’t have to do all this. I would have had fun making sandcastles on the beach. And that’s free.”

“No worries, kid,” Tony says, smiling at him before he starts the car. “This was nothing. I just want you to be happy. Also… has Ned texted yet?”

Peter digs his phone out of his pocket and turns on the screen. “Ahh! He did! Let me read it quick.” He pauses to read while Tony navigates out of the parking lot. “I don’t get it. He says he’ll see me on Wednesday? And he’s excited to see your beach house?” Peter looks up at Tony. “Is Ned coming to Malibu?”

“Surprise!” Tony says, turning his head to grin at him. “I called Ned’s mom this morning and worked it out. Actually, I left the details up to her and Happy, so that must be what they decided.”

Peter’s quiet for a moment, but Tony can feel his eyes on the side of his head. 

“Pull over,” Peter says, sounding serious. 

Tony glances at him to see if he looks like he’s going to puke or something, but the kid’s expression is the most sober one he’s ever seen. What now? Should he not have asked Ned to come to Malibu? Is Peter going to get out of the car and run to get away from him? Should he actually pull over like he’s being asked to?

“Please, pull over,” Peter says again.

“Okay, fine. Hang on.” Tony turns onto a side street and finds a safe place to park the car.

“Now get out,” Peter says.

Tony just turns to blink at him. “Are you really ordering me out of my own car?”

“I’m asking you,” Peter clarifies. “Will you please get out of the car?”

“Why, so you can climb over the seat and drive off with it? I’m not really sure I trust your driving skills.”

Peter just gets out of the car himself and stands on the boulevard in front of a normal looking house in a normal looking Malibu neighborhood. When Tony doesn’t get out, he knocks on the glass. “Are you coming?”

Tony sighs and unbuckles his seat belt. What the hell is going on with this kid? When he finally gets out and makes his way to the curb, his journey is interrupted. Because in the next second, he has his arms filled with one spider-kid. “Okay,” he says, patting Peter’s back. “That was completely unnecessary. Couldn’t you have waited to hug me until we got back to the house? Now we’re standing on some random street, and people are probably looking out their windows seeing this. Someone will probably take a photo and tomorrow it’ll be all over the trash magazines. _Tony Stark Hugs Random Kid in Random Malibu Neighborhood_.”

“ _Random Kid Hugs Tony Stark in Random Malibu Neighborhood_ ,” Peter amends.

“You are _not_ a random kid,” Tony says, squeezing him tighter. “But let’s get out of here before the press figures it out, okay? I’d like to keep you safe from the world as long as I can.”

Peter waits a moment before letting go. “You’re the best, Mr Stark. Thank you for inviting Ned to come stay with us at your beach house. He’ll probably be a huge fanboy, and it’ll be really annoying for you. I’ll tell him to tone it down.”

Tony ruffles his hair and smiles. “Don’t worry about it. As long as you’re happy, then I am, too.”


End file.
